Elegy
by Songstone
Summary: Sasuke's life was a web of lies from the very start; everything he had ever known about his family life has proven to be a lie. His parents aren't really his parents at all. And his brother... Oh, his brother...


**Elegy**

**..::..**

**This is NOT all of my own work. Sasuke was written for by one of my friends from DA. She's **P. T. Famous Wolf here on .  
**  
We had this really random, but totally sad role play, and it just had to be shared. D:**

**The whole story started out of the blue, but a full explanation is at the bottom of the story. Just read on with an open mind, and I'm sure you'll enjoy. :3**

**..::..**

"...W-why did you lie?"

"I...wanted to protect you. I decided to continue along with my alias for your benefit. I wanted you to grow up hating me; for you to grow up strong. Strong enough to defeat me and give both of us peace." Itachi's voice shook a bit before the coughing began again. She hacked and wheezed, grimacing in pain as she lay crumpled at Sasuke's feet. She weakly tried to catch her breath. "I never expected you to leave Konoha...go back home, Sasuke. As a hero."

"But that's-..." Sasuke could feel the heavy lump in his throat, his eyes stinging with tears. Was he honestly expected to believe this? There was no way that this was true. Itachi was his mother? His _mother_? How could that be... He angrily wiped away the forming tears, trying to force away the memories of when he was younger. "How is that protecting me?" He demanded, brows furrowed, "If you really wanted to protect me, then why didn't you just bring me with you!?"

Itachi gave another cough, almost seeing stars from the pain that caused her. She was more than sure that she had broken ribs, and every time she gave a cough, it felt like she was being stabbed. She tasted blood again, but left it to drip down her chin. "I was considered a criminal... I joined Akatsuki to keep my facade. I couldn't bring you with me and put you in that kind of danger. If I were killed out there, and you were left alone..." She trailed off, blinking slowly. She wished she could see Sasuke. Her eyes had finally dulled to a bleak grayish colour, and her vision was finally leaving her. The last blurry images of her son were fading much too quickly for her liking. "You were safer in Konoha..."

"So you left me without a family?" Sasuke demanded, hands balled into fists. "And you assumed I'd be safe without anyone who cared? Did you even consider how I would feel about this!?" In the back of his mind, he did know where Itachi was coming from. He knew that this idea wasn't as crazy as it sounded. And in the back of his mind, he actually believed her. "... So I guess Orochimaru wasn't in your plans?" He asked, glaring at the ground.

"Shh...shh..." Itachi tried meekly to soothe Sasuke, not being able to do so with a hug, or by combing his hair with her fingers like he had always liked. She stayed crumpled on the ground, in too much pain to move and finding trying to do so pointless. She moved her hand and blindly tried to find Sasuke; her fingers brushed his knee as he knelt besides her, and she gripped at the fabric of his pants. "No...Orochimaru was a...stumbling block. He won't come back anymore, however." She had made sure of that during this last battle, and she'd freed Sasuke from his power in the process.

Sasuke bit his lip, his tooth piercing it hard enough to draw blood. Gently, he reached out and touched his mother's cheek before wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I don't suppose you know," He started, biting his lip, "Who my real father is, then." He felt somewhat relieved that Fugaku wasn't his real father. That man never did pay as much attention to him as he did Itachi, and now... it made some sense.

Feeling Sasuke's arm around her, and his fingers brushing over her cheek, Itachi wasn't able to help herself from smiling very softly. Her eyes stung a bit as emotion caught her off guard and a few tears slipped discretely down her face. They mingled with the blood that had fallen from her eyes previously, making dark red streaks down her face. "He was a second cousin of mine...you knew him..." She began in a low tone. "Shisui. But...he was never told that we had a son together."

"Shisui." The name breathlessly left Sasuke's lips, and he looked up from his mother. So that was his father. At least he was a full Uchiha, and not half. "...And he's dead, too." That was disappointing - he had hoped that maybe his father was someone outside of the clan who was still alive somewhere.

He could feel the lump in his throat get bigger and tears escape their ducts when he realized that the last - and the closest - of his family was about to die. "You-..." He looked down at his mother, suddenly feeling sick when he realized that he was the one that did this to her. "You can't die." He said, almost begging, "You can't die! Not here, not now, don't-... Don't die, Mom!" He was surprised when the word left his lips, but he felt comfortable saying it. "Mom, please don't die! Please, you can't!"

It was a small shock to be called 'mom' for the first time, but it was something that Itachi had always hoped for. It was only natural. Sasuke was her only child, and she loved him so deeply that it hurt to hear him acknowledging her as his mother now, since this would be the first and last time that this would ever happen. She didn't want to let anymore tears fall. She wanted to be strong, just for a little while longer. "Sasuke..." She called softly, her hand lifting and touching the air as she tried to pin-point where he was exactly.

It was a small victory when she found her hand pressed against the side of his face, and she used her thumb to brush away the tears that she felt slipping down his cheek. "I'm not well, Sasuke..." It felt like she was turning her back on him all over again. Like she was betraying him by not being able to fight this disease in her anymore, and it hurt even more than her physical wounds. "I won't last long." She turned her head, her eyes still trying to find him; she could barely make out an outline as the blackness closed in absolutely. "I'm...so sorry."

"Don't die here," Sasuke pleaded, voice breaking. "Please, s-stay strong, Mom." He shook lightly, leaning into her hand when she rubbed his cheek. Her hand was comforting, soft and loving, much like a mother's touch should be. "You'll last long enough." He choked out, sniffing. He didn't know if he could handle losing his mother just as he had met her. "Stay with me as long as you can, okay?" He asked. There was no way that he could get any help - the rest were ordered to stay with Kisame. So Itachi wasn't getting any serious medical attention for a while.

"Shh...don't cry. It'll be all right." Itachi said comfortingly, still wiping away tears from Sasuke's face. Her fingers traced the contours of his face, the shape of his cheekbone; he was so young. He had seemed so strong and mature for his age as their battle began, however many hours ago that was, and now he was holding onto her and crying. It was a comfort to know that his capability to express emotion was not lost, but it was more heartbreaking than anything to have her child cry. Not for the first time, Itachi felt helpless in her inability to console the boy.

"Sasuke, it's okay." She tried again, trying to make her voice strong. "I'm not leaving you...I'm being set free. My body is against me and I've been in so much pain..." She smiled a little. "You're my son. I love you." With her hand on his cheek, she pulled his head down a bit. It was a strain, but she was able to place a loving kiss onto his forehead."I'm always going to be with you." She shut her eyes; they were of no use to her now. "I need you to do something for me... Ask Kisame for my notebooks when you leave here."

"I- I'm not leaving you." Sasuke said softly, voice shaking. He felt a stabbing pain in his chest when she kissed him, wishing that they could have more moments like this. "I'm not leaving you, Mom." He repeated. He held her closer, his body shaking lightly. He nodded when she mentioned her notebooks, assuming they were journals of some sort. "There's no way that... that you're going to make it, is there?" He asked, biting his lip. As much as it pained him, he knew he was right - in his mothers conditions, Itachi wasn't getting any better anytime soon. And even if she did survive, she'd be in pain all the time. Sasuke didn't want her to go through that just for him. That would be selfish.

"I'm sorry..." Itachi repeated her words from before. She knew she wasn't going to make it any longer. She could feel everything going numb.

With a small movement, Itachi had shifted enough to wrap her arms around Sauske's shoulders; she held him for as long as she was able to. It should have hurt her ribs to stretch like that, but she barely felt a thing. She smiled very faintly. She was glad that if she had to die, that it would be here; she was so happy to have her son with her, and to be able to hug him. This had been her wish for so long. "I want you to know," She began in a tired sounding tone. "that you've never been alone. You've always had people who have cared for you... I've...talked to Naruto. He cares for you so much. Y-you need to go home, Sasuke." She brushed his bangs behind his ear and then slowly relaxed her body, feeling exhausted. She rested her head against his arm.

"I love you, Sasuke..." There were so many other things to say, but that was the most important.

Itachi smiled gently, her lungs pulling in one deep breath instinctively before she stilled. Her breath left her totally in one long, peaceful sigh.

- - -

Sasuke looked down at his mother, afraid of what might meet his sight.

His mother looked peaceful, like she was in a deep, deep sleep. The sight was an all to familiar one, but it differed for her. It... as much as he hated to admit, it was a beautiful image. This was something that was bound to happen one day or another, and today just happened to be that day.

Gently, he brushed the hair away from her face. He swallowed, gently shaking her. "Mom... ?" He asked. His eyes widened from panic when he received no response. "M-mom? Hey..." Again, he shook her. "Mom, wake up."

Tears pricked at his eyes, and he could feel his bottom lip tremble heavily. "C-come on, Mom, wake... wake up. Come on, please!" Sasuke looked up, feeling completely helpless. He knew that nobody would be there, but how he desperately wanted someone to be. "Come on, ple-... please. Don't-..."

The lump returned, and was bigger than before. He ignored the tears that fell down his face, falling off and hitting his mother's cheeks. "No, you... you have to wake up, Mom! Come on, Mom...!" He let out a broken sob, bringing her close to his chest.

"Mom!"

- - -

His eyes had barely left the thing ever since Sasuke had left them. Suigetsu had had his eyes on the prize--Kisame's sword, Samehada--for what seemed like an eternity now. He had fought with Kisame over it for half the time that they had been there, but it had ended with disappointment. Kisame's sword reacted violently to anyone who wasn't big, and blue, that grabbed its hilt, or tried to wield it. Suigetsu had figured that out rather painfully. Now he was just annoyed, sipping angrily from his water bottle and kicking at dirt with his sandals. He was glaring holes into Kisame's skull, wishing he'd drop dead so he could keep his sword once and for all...

"Look." Juugo suddenly spoke up.

"Huh?" Suigetsu looked over his shoulder where Juugo and Karin were looking. He blinked in surprise. Well, it looked like Sasuke was alive, at least. But...

"Is that...?" He squinted at the person Sasuke seemed to be carrying. That was strange; Suigetsu always imagined Sasuke to be one to do a victory dance or something after he defeated his brother. But right now Sasuke looked...sad.

Sasuke looked up from his mother, eyes glazed over as he gazed at his teammates. He hadn't had the heart or the strength to let her go; He ended up carrying her back. And the others... they still didn't know. Slowly, he walked to his teammates, his legs buckling as he walked. It was obvious to anyone who saw that he was deeply upset. He didn't seem to be going anywhere as he walked, there were obvious tear stains on his cheeks, and overall he looked terrible. "...E-everyone," He said weakly.

"Sasuke..." Suigetsu began, looking quite alarmed to see his usually stoic leader so shaken up. His eyes went between Sasuke and the body that he was carrying. And suddenly Suigetsu noticed that the body wasn't Sasuke's brother at all. It should have been, but...this was a female. "Who is...?" He began, pointing down at the woman that Sasuke held. They had such a resemblance to one another, but Suigetsu didn't understand that at all. Sasuke had left to fight his brother, and he comes back with a girl?

The jutsu Itachi had held on her body for so long had finally been broken when she had fallen; that had been the starting point of the string of explainations, and eventually confessions. But Suigetsu and the others didn't know this, and it only confused them further.

"This... " Sasuke started weakly, looking up at Suigetsu. "This is... " He paused, debating over how he should tell his teammates. After a moment, he decided that the bluntest way would work the best. He didn't want to do anything more complicated. "...This is Itachi." He said softly. "And this is my Mother."

"But..." Suigetsu couldn't think of how to even begin.

"But you said the Itachi you were after was your brother." Juugo finished for the white haired boy. "How is this both Itachi, and your mother?"

Suigetsu nodded in agreement, wanting to know as well.

Sasuke shook his head, grip tightening on his mother's body. "That's because Itachi _was_ my Mother." He explained. "She was pretending to be a boy her whole life. And in reality, she was a girl. And...she was my mother."

**..::..**

**So, uhm, we started kind of out of the blue, so the full story isn't really here. But what happened is basically:**

Itachi and Sasuke fought (as in, their final battle, like in the manga).

When Itachi was knocked down, it was revealed that he had been using a jutsu to hide his real gender, which was female.

Uchiha women weren't regarded as well as the men/weren't respected, and they didn't wield the Sharingan. And so Fugaku had her living as a boy for her whole life.

So since Sasuke is demanding answers, Itachi confesses that she was his mother, and not his sister (this will be explained in greater detail in an upcoming story I was inspired to write after this).

And the rest basically explains itself. xD

So yup.

Here's some sad Mommy!Itachi and Crying!Sasuke for you guys. Hope you enjoy, since I know I did.


End file.
